The Brighter the Light
by Mr. Reindeerface
Summary: The worlds need saving again, and this time Sora's going to need all the help he can get. Only problem is Riku is having flashbacks of a girl he barely remembers. And now they need her to stop this new threat. SoraxKairi RikuxOC
1. Prologue

Riku blinked, his eyes unfocused. Vision swimming and colors blurry, he searched hurriedly to identify his surroundings. Although he looked around, the darkness surrounding him made it hard to see.

'There's my answer,' he thought. 'The Realm of Darkness.' Everything came rushing back to the silver haired teen. Giving into the darkness, hunting for Kairi, fighting Sora, and eventually being locked in Kingdom Hearts. But hadn't Sora said that Kingdom Hearts was light? There was no light in this place.

As his eyes slowly adjusted to the dim lighting, he finally began to take in his surroundings. Embers of a long dead fire smoldered in front of him. There was some sort of make-shift camp set up. It all seemed so familiar. Slats of deep blue 'light' slanted down, giving the barest illusion that he could see. Lying on the ground in front of him was a teenage girl, blonde hair tied up. She lay there silently, blending in well with the falling shadows. She looked so familiar…

"Riku." Her voice drifted though the haze of his thoughts. He tried to move to her, and succeeded. He felt as though chains bound him. "I can't fight it any more Riku." Her lips did not move, but he heard her voice clearly.

"Z…" He found himself thinking, recognizing her now. "You can't leave me Z." His memories flooded back. He now remembered why he was here.

"The darkness, it's calling me. I'm too weak, Riku." The girl began sinking into the ground, as the shadows spin around her.

"No! You have to fight it!" He cried out, reaching for her hand. "I can't lose you too. I've already lost my home, my friends. I won't let you go Z!" He held her as the shadows wrapped around them both.

"No Riku, it is your fate to get out of here, you have to help Sora. He needs you. I don't belong here. I wasn't meant to exist; I am a mistake." Her last words were very deliberate, he knew they'd had this argument before.

"I won't let you go Z." He said quietly. "You're my light now." A small smile tugged at the girl's lips, and her head fell to the side. Her eyes opened slowly, and Riku noticed how glassy they were. The magenta colored irises were dull and fading back to the red they had been long ago.

"I know Riku. I'll always be with you. Don't worry, we'll meet again." The shadows enveloped her body, pulling her under, and her hand finally slipped from his. Her words echoed hollowly through the still air. "You have my heart now; take care of it for me while I'm gone."


	2. The Sun

Riku shot up in his bed, sweat pouring down his back and his chest heaving. '_Another one of those dreams huh?_' He stood unsteadily, and walked to the window. Looking out, he saw the outline of their island home. Sure, he was glad to be back. He never thought he'd miss this place. But now, now he kept thinking about _her_. This girl kept invading his thoughts. He sighed heavily, running a hand though his messy silver locks. The sun barely peaked over the horizon, signaling that yet another day was starting.

Riku sat on the paopu tree, watching the sunrise. It was quiet, there were birds chirping, the breeze blew softly. He heard Sora running across the bridge to the smaller island, where he slowed down, noticing the older boy. He jumped over the bent trunk, leaning against it like Riku had done years ago, before the Heartless had invaded. He watched the sun rise over the ocean quietly, enjoying his friend's companionship.

"Nothings changed huh?" Riku said after a stretch of silence, continuing to gaze at the sunrise.

"Nope. Nothing will." Sora replied calmly. He too was focused on the sun. Both boys watched the fiery orb rising in the distance.

"What a small world." Riku said a smirk evident in his voice. He shook his head a bit, to clear lingering thoughts of the dream from his mind.

"But… part of one that's much bigger." Sora commented. Riku nodded, and replied with a short 'yeah.' The two friends fell silent again. "Hey Riku…" Sora suddenly turned to the silver haired teen. "What do you think it was, the door to the light?" Riku jumped down from the tree, and laughed quietly. He turned to face Sora, and tapped the younger's chest.

"This." He said, a smile evident on his face. Sora put his hand over his heart.

"This?" He asked, looking down in bewilderment and shock, then looking back up at his friend.

"Yeah. It's always closer than you think." Sora grinned his goofy grin, making the older boy smile too.

"Sora! Riku!" Kairi's voice rang out, drawing their attention. Sora looked worriedly at their friend, where as Riku looked decidedly neutral. He was still having some issues with Kairi and Sora being together, but he valued their friendship too much to let them go.

"Hey, what's up?" Sora asked, as the crimson haired girl paused to catch her breath. She clutched a bottle in her hand.

"Look." She said, holding it up. Inside was a small letter, with three interconnected black circles, that looked a lot like the head of a familiar mouse king.

"From the King?" Sora said, grabbing the bottle from her. He quickly opened it, and shook the letter out. As he opened it to read, his friends moved behind him to read it as well.

_I wanted to tell you immediately._

_There are memories asleep inside you._

_Those memory fragments connect to the future._

_Sora, Riku, Kairi,_

_The truth surrounding the Keyblade,_

_passes through numerous connections,_

_which are inside your hearts._

_Sora,_

_It all leads to you, and everyone is waiting for you._

_The only one who can heal their sadness is you._

_It's possible that the travels up until now,_

_compared to the next trip, may have been easy._

_Everything thought to be accidental was really connected,_

_and the door to a new departure already seems to be opening._

-_Mickey_

Sora read the letter twice, as it trying to force it to explain what it meant. "Ugh! Does the King have to write riddles?" He cried out in frustration.

"Relax Sora." Kairi said. "I'm sure he'll explain."

"When?" Sora asked, still looking miffed.

"Read the P.S. at the bottom, dufus." Riku said in a bored tone. The younger boy complied, looking down at the letter. _PS- if you agree to finish this puzzle, a Gummi ship will come for you. Know this, you might not all come back from this journey. It will be one of the hardest you've ever been on, and you'll need all the help you can get. Be ready._

Sunset found Sora sitting on the paopu tree, lost in thought. He stared out at the sun, as it sunk below the horizon. Hadn't he been doing the same thing hours ago, when he sat watching the sun come up? It marked the end of a day when the three friends had each gone off to contemplate their next move. Kairi and Riku had both went their separate ways, leaving Sora alone on the mini-island. Now, as the day drew to a close, he had finally made his decision.

The bright sun burned yellow, making the sky around it glow with orange and pinks. The crystal water of his island home was a light purple color as he sat there and watched the clouds drift by.

"Sora." Riku said calmly as he walked across the wooden bridge. The boy in question turned in surprise, to watch his friend approach.

"Riku." Sora replied in slight shock, as the silver-haired boy watched the sunset, walking closer to the tree. He paused, and looked down.

"Have you decided yet?" Riku asked, looking up at the sun.

"Yeah." Sora followed his friends gaze back out to the sky. In his hands he held the bottle and note that King Mickey had sent them. Kairi then crossed the bridge, walking over to the tree Sora sat on. Turning to look at him, she too said his name.

"Kairi!" Sora jumped down, and looked sadly at the girl smiling sweetly at him. "I…" He looked down, too ashamed to say more.

"Yeah…" She said, as if guessing his response, and silently agreeing that it was the best thing to do. Sora looked up in surprise, and let out a small laugh.

"There are still sad people out there." He said, walking towards her. "Everyone is waiting. I have to put back everything that's connected to me." Riku had turned around, and let out a 'heh' at his friends enthusiastic words, although he couldn't help but smile.

Kairi smiled too, although hers was almost sad. She let out a sigh, and grabbed Sora's hand. In it, she placed her lucky charm. "Have a nice trip." She said quietly. Sora grinned brightly, before pulling her into a hug.

"So… uh…. How do we tell the King?" He asked after a minute.

"I'm pretty sure he knew you'd say yes." Riku said. "You _are_ predictable in that area." He grinned when Sora protested, but the two couldn't really be mad at each other.

"Boys, boys!" Kairi exclaimed, laughing. "Play nice!" Sora promptly tacked Riku, knocking both boys off the island into the shallow water under it. The three best friends laughed as the sun sank out of sight beyond the rippling waters of the Destiny Islands.


	3. The Stars

That night, Riku couldn't fall asleep. He knew that he _should_ be sleeping, but his mind was reeling. Sora would be leaving to save the worlds again, but what would he do? Riku still felt the all-to familiar pull of the darkness at his heart, and being here on the Islands wasn't helping. He wasn't meant for this place anymore. Now that he knew there were other worlds out there, he had an urge to explore them. He couldn't stay locked up here forever.

As Riku lay there, he felt a dark presence in his mind. At first, he ignored it. By now, this had happened too many times for him to get worried. Hours ticked by. Tendrils of darkness wrapped around his legs suddenly, and before he could react, he was pulled though the floor.

He couldn't see.

He couldn't breathe.

He crashed to the ground, as the dark portal dropped him on a stretch of what looked like beach.

"Hello Riku." A soft voice dragged him from his thoughts. "How have you been?"

"Z," Riku looked over at the blonde girl, sitting on one of the rocks. "Where are we?" She beckoned him over, and he complied. She scooted over on the rock, to make room for him to sit.

"That didn't answer my question." She said quietly as Riku settled himself on the rock.

"You didn't answer mine." He replied.

"You first."

Riku sighed, realizing they were acting like kids. Z smiled. "I've been better, but I've defiantly been worse. What about you?"

"Alright, I guess." Came the quiet response. "A bit lonely, but getting by."

"Your turn. Where are we?" He hadn't meant for it o sound that rude, so he tacked on an "if you don't mind" at the end.

"You made me promise I'd show you my favorite places one day. And I'm keeping my promise. This is one of my favorite places." Riku looked out at the 'water' and gasped. It looked to him like liquid darkness, and inky-navy colors pool filled with millions of twinkling star-like spots.

"It… looks like the sky." Riku said in amazement. "The night sky."

"Isn't it beautiful?" Z asked. "This place is hard to find, you can't fly a Gummi ship here. The only way is though a corridor of darkness."

"It's really nice Z, but could you not drag me though the darkness without a warning? It's hard enough to resist the darkness, and you know those corrupt the hearts of people who travel them." Riku's companion fell silent at the mildly angry and short tone of his voice.

"So you really don't remember then." She said quietly. "The charm I gave you, it has an enchantment on it. That will protect you when you travel the corridors." Riku dropped his gaze, suddenly feeling really bad. She was just trying to be nice, and he'd snapped at her. "Don't feel bad. You won't remember everything right away."

"What if I never remember?" Riku asked. "What if I forever lose what happened to us? If I don't remember, then…"

"Then I'll have to intervene." Z said, turning to him and squeezing his hand reassuringly. "But I have faith in you Riku. You aren't as weak and lost in the darkness as you were when I met you."

"But I remember what it was like." He said quietly. "And I don't like who I was… what I am."

"We are all 'whats' in our own right."

"True." Riku relented. Slowly, he laid his head down on the girls shoulder, as if unsure about his actions. She reached her hand up, and ran it though his pale silver locks. Riku couldn't explain why, but it felt very calming to him. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he knew they'd done this before; sat in silence just enjoying each others company. He only whish he could remember _when_ they'd done it. "I want to stay like this forever." Riku said suddenly, breaking the two of them from their thoughts. "I don't know why, but I do. It feels… it just feels _right_, you know?"

"Yes, I know. And one day, we will. But right now, Sora needs you. It would be selfish of me to keep you from your best friends."

"Somehow, I don't think he would mind that much." Riku replied with a smile. "Ever since we got back he's been bugging me to get a girlfriend." Some small part of him delighted in the fact that Z's face turned a shade of pink at his words.

"Gi-girlfried?" She asked in confusion.

"Of course. Even if I don't remember all the details I do know that we were close." Riku was speaking calmly, though inside he wondered if he'd gone too far. "So I figure why the heck not make it official."

To his surprise, his companion smiled. "I would love to be your girlfriend Riku." She turned to him. "But it's almost time for you to go home now. I need you to do me a favor."

"Sure. What is it?" Riku couldn't hide his sorrow at leaving yet. Being with Z made it easier to remember what had happened before.

"Don't worry. I'll see you again soon." She pulled a letter out of her bag. "I need to you deliver this to King Mickey for me. I understand you'll be seeing him shortly." She pressed it into his hand. Riku looked down at it. The letter was enveloped in a plain, black envelope. On the back was a white wax seal, with Z's symbol pressed into it. He slipped it into his pocket.

"Before you go, do you think… Could you give me my memories? Not all of them," He started backpedaling fast. "But just a few. So I remember a bit more." At the sad smile on his friends face, Riku knew he wouldn't like the answer. "Somehow, I knew that would be the answer. But I still had to ask."

"I'm sorry Riku, I really am. But you need to remember for yourself." The blonde slid off the rock onto the sand. Riku followed, and wrapped his arms around her waist in a hug.

"Do you think you'll be able to summon a portal by yourself, or do you need me to send you back." She asked in a teasing voice,

"I think I can handle it." Riku said with a smirk. They stood there in silence for a few minutes.

"So this is goodbye." He said quietly, almost like asking for her to tell him it wasn't.

"Don't be dismayed at goodbyes." She said, looking up at him.

"A goodbye in necessary for us to meet again." Riku said quietly, the memory of the first time she spoke this quote filling his mind. He held her tighter. "I don't want to let go…" He whispered quietly, almost to himself.

"It's okay Riku. I'll always lead you home." Z pulled back from him. "Go now, it's almost dawn. Sora will wonder where you disappeared to." Riku summoned a portal, and turning his back on her, stepped into it. As it closed, he peeked behind him, and watched as she waved goodbye.


	4. The Moon

King Mickey walked along one of the halls of Disney Castle, looking out the large floor-to-ceiling windows at the dark night sky. A full moon glowed outside of the castle. The King stopped, and jumped onto the windowsill. Outside in the garden, Queen Minnie was talking with their newly arrived guests: Cloud, Leon, Aerith, Yuffie, Cid, and Tifa. Mickey smiled, jumped down, and headed out to the garden.

"Unfortunately, we couldn't convince Merlin to come." Yuffie was saying as Mickey walled up. "He had some important work to do." Leon noticed the king approaching, and sort of half-waved, drawing the attention of the other people gathered around.

"Hello King Mickey." Aerith said sweetly. "How are you?"

"Oh, I'm fine. How about you all? Did ya have a nice trip?" The King replied cheerily.

"Heh, never better." Leon replied sourly. "The restoration of Hollow Bastion has been going well. Until recently that is."

"Oh, what happened?" the queen asked, as Mickey moved to stand beside her.

"Hollow Bastion is under attack. Again." Leon replied.

"Only problem is, the heartless aren't behind it." Tifa chimed in. "So we don't really know how to defend."

"Uhh… maybe you guys should've stayed behind to help." Goofy commented uncertainly.

"Problem is it's a computer virus." Cloud said in his gloomy manor. "A computer virus."

"Wha!" Donald cried. "What about Tron?"

"He's working on it." Leon started talking again. "But we're looking to see if you guys and Sora could lend us a hand. You know the territory, and Tron would probably be more comfortable working with people he knows."

"Well…" Goofy started. "The King just sent Sora a letter, telling him that the worlds are in danger again and we need his help."

"If he's willing to give it." Daisy added.

"Huh, you think the squirt will come though?" Cid asked sourly.

"Have you forgotten who your dealing with?" Yuffie asked. "When does Sora ever _not_ come through with things like this?"

"You have a point kid." Cid said.

"This is great; we'll have the whole gang together again!" Aerith said. "It's been so long…"

"C'mon, let's head to the library." Mickey said. "maybe we'll find something about this 'virus' there." They all exited the garden, and started down the long hallways towards the library. There were no lights on, the moon was bright enough that they could see. "So Leon," the King started. "Do you think this virus could be connected to this new enemy?"

"Probably. We don't know enough about it yet to be certain though. And at the rate we're going, we won't ever be able to track it down. It's probably gonna start destroying out files soon."

"Maybe a User has something to do with it. Like, controlling it." Goofy added in.

"Wouldn't you notice someone else using the terminal?" Daisy asked.

"Maybe there's an alternate terminal we don't know about." Aerith started to think. "That would be why we can't find them."

"But Tron would know about an alternate terminal, wouldn't he?" Donald added, pushing the library doors open, and leading the group in. "I mean, he _is_ a security program."

"Not necessarily." Yuffie sighed. "I've known some pretty skilled computer whizzes, not counting you Cid. Some of them could compute circles around anything we could do, even with Tron's help."

"Gee, do ya think one of them could help us?" Mickey asked, looking up at the Great Ninja.

"If we can find any." She said nonchalantly, before walking over to a bookcase and pulling out a random book. "Most of them are dead." She said softly, but everyone in the room heard her.

"Try not to worry about it, your Majesty." Cloud said softly to the now distressed-looking mouse king. "It's something that happened a long time ago. She isn't bitter about it now."

In the library, the only light there was came from the moonlight shining through the open door. Everyone went around, lighting a few candles.

"We brought a sample of the data that's connected to the virus. Apparently, this is what's been corrupting the files that Sora tried to open before." Tifa held out a small square in her hand. "We were hoping you could look it over, put some fresh ideas out there,"

"Uhh… well ya see fellas, there aren't any computers here." Mickey said, taking the square.

"This digital board, it's also an interfacing system." Cloud explained. "We don't need a terminal to view it." He pressed a button on its surface, and it opened up, revealing a small screen, which jumped to life.

"Whoah, how'd you do that?" Donald said, looking at it like a child at Christmas-time.

"An interface board. It's interactive without a terminal, so it runs on its own. Not terminal, no system requirements. Nothing. Darn thing are near impossible to find." Cid grumbled. "These kids keep wastin' 'em on the stupidest, most useless things."

"Don't be bitter Cid." Yuffie rolled her eyes at the blonde. "We can always get more."

Mickey ignored the bickering two, and started to read the information held on the pad. The King scrolled though the information it displayed, and his eyes widened. '_This isn't good.'_ He thought. "Hmm…" He pondered over the confusing jumble of thoughts that had materialized in his head.

"Mickey?" Minnie looked at her husband in concern. "Is everything okay?" He didn't answer her. Instead, the mouse walked out of the library, and went to sit on the windowsill across the hall. Moonbeams fell down on the castle as the moon rose in the sky, enveloping it in a silvery light. Leon, the only person other than the queen who noticed the King leave, walked over to lean against the sill.

"This isn't good news Leon." Mickey said. "I don't like the way this is heading."

"When do you think we'll be able to get Sora here?" Leon asked, his eyes focusing on the glowing silver sphere hanging in the sky. Light banter drifted out of the library. "having him here should help connect some of the dots, don't you think?"

"I hope so. Donald and Goofy will leave tomorrow to get them. This has become more urgent than I imagined."

"Them?" Leon's tone was confused.

"I have a feelin' we're gonna need more that just Sora's help this time. Riku and Kairi are coming as well."

"I understand needing another Keyblade wielder, even if their heart is covered in darkness." Leon said after a pause. "I still don't trust him, and I don't understand you're reasons for trusting him. But what use can the girl be?"

"You'd be surprised." Mickey replied with a small smirk. "With just a little bit of training, she might be a really great fighter too!" Leon just shrugged.

"I don't see how an amnesiac little kid will help, but if you think it's worth it…"

"You're forgetting her worth to Sora, Leon." Cloud said, as he stepped up to the two. "Kairi is his light, and the last time he left her alone, it didn't end to well. At least this way, someone can keep an eye on her."

"How much do you know, Leon?" Mickey asked. "About what happened before?"

"Only the small bit's Yuffie's said at random times. Aerith doesn't know much, and the last time I spoke to Tzi was over five years ago."

"Oh, the accident." Cloud said.

"Plural." Mickey corrected him. "You know what happened too?" Cloud just nodded. "So you both know how Kairi and Z are connected."

"…Yeah."

"Do you think it will be a problem?" Cloud asked.

"You found Tzi?" Leon asked, looking surprised. "That would be a good place to start."

"Not yet. That's one of the things we need to take care of."

"How do you even plan to find her? She's been missing for six plus years."

"Riku and I found her wandering the Realm of Darkness after the incident in Hollow Bastion two years ago." Mickey turned to the two men. "Riku will probably have a good idea of where to start looking for her. That's the mission I want to send him on."

"And you think she'll be able to help us." It was a statement.

"I guess we'll see, won't we?" A cloud drifted across the moon, blocking out it's light and drawing the attention of the three standing in the hallway.

"Full moon." Cloud said slowly. "When the darkness is at it's strongest."

"Seems like something of a bad omen." Leon stared up though the clouds.

"Or a good one, depending on your standpoint." Mickey said, looking around the outside of the castle, as the cloud drifted away. The moon's silvery light stole the color from the world. "Darkness isn't always the worst thing. It's what a heart does with the darkness that defines it."


	5. Friends

Riku refused to go down to the beach. Little over an hour ago, Donald and Goofy had arrived in a Gummi ship to get Sora. The only thing that had happened was overly-joyous yelling of "Sora!" "Donald! Goofy!" lots of hugging, frantic talking and now a water fight. They had gotten _nothing _done.

Alright, so he was a little jealous that Sora got to go save the world again. Just a little. But seriously, how did they expect him to just sit around while Sora went out and risked his life? What kind of friend did that?

_She pulled a letter out of her bag. "I need to you deliver this to King Mickey for me. I understand you'll be seeing him shortly." She pressed it into his hand._

But Riku wasn't going. Sure, he had assumed, and pretty much just hoped, that he would be going with Sora. But he knew that there was no chance of that. Not now, not ever. He and Sora didn't go together as much.

"Haha, c'mon Donald, give up!" Sora's yell carried up into the tree house where Riku stood. Maleficent's words from long ago. _'You see? It's just as I told you. While you toiled away trying to find your dear friend, he quite simply replaced you with some new companions. Evidently, now he values them far more than he does you. You're better off without that wretched boy. Now think no more of him and come with me. I'll help you find what you're searching for…' _

"No!" Riku managed to hiss through clenched teeth. "No more!" The glass on the table behind him shattered; the shadow water within becoming unstable with the release of his dark energy. Riku turned, and destroyed the substance with a wave of his hand. 'Why?' he thought bitterly. 'Why is it that I still can't control the darkness within me?'

"Riku!" Sora yelled from the beach. "Riku, where are you?" The silver haired teen, not wanting to deal with Sora right now, took off, sneaking past Sora, who was franticly searching for him, and took his boat back to the mainland.

"So… Everything's in place? Correct?" The blonde girl asked, yawning with boredom.

"Z, if you're bored, leave." The green-haired girl said, rolling her eyes at her friend. "We're pretty much done here. Go visit Rose or something."

"Sweet." Z jumped up, and bolted out the door before anyone could stop her.

Walking down the shoreline, she realized how quite the night was. Not eerie quiet, more like peaceful quiet.

_You're avoiding him. _She thought, reading Riku's emotions clearly. She could feel them, even this far away from him.

_Are you spying on me?_ He responded, and she could just imagine the quirky smirk that would be playing on his lips right now.

_You wish._

_Don't be mean._

_Never. _Sure, they acted childish sometimes. But she couldn't help it.

_I have a question for you. _Riku's curiosity caught her attention. She paused her steps, waiting for him to continue. _Why is it so much harder to control the Darkness then to control the Light?_ His question threw her for a minute. Or two.

_I… don't know Riku. Sorry._ She could just imagine him sighing, throwing a pillow in frustration.

_I remembered something today. _Her interest peaked.

_Do tell._

"I SWEAR RIKU, WHEN I GET MY HANDS ON YOU!" Sora left his threat open-ended as he ran through their small neighborhood in search of his friend. 'Jeez, is he avoiding me or something?' The brown haired boy thought.

"Sora!" Kairi yelled, running to catch up to him. "Sora!"

"What's up?" He asked, smiling at his girlfriend.

"Tidus said he saw Riku go home earlier. He's probably still there."

"Okay, thanks Kairi." Sora started off in the direction of his best friend's house.

"Oh, hello Sora!" Riku's mother greeted as he rang the doorbell. "He's up in his room, you can head up there."

"Thanks!" Sora raced up the stairs to his friend's room. "RIKU!" He yelled, slamming the door open and putting his ands on his hips. "I have been looking everywhere for…" He trailed off. "Riku! RIKU!"

Donald tapped his foot impatiently. "Oooo…. Where is that brat?"

"I dunno, maybe he's havin' some trouble tracking Riku down." Goofy said, trying to calm down the extremely ticked off duck.

"Well he needs to hurry up! If he doesn't get here soon, we're gonna go track him down and drag him back here!"

"Aww… Donald you know we can't do that. It would upset the balance of the worlds." Goofy grabbed his friends arm. "We just gotta be patient." Donald just sighed, and started pacing by the Gummi ship. They should have been back at Disney Castle by now. But noooo, the moody teenager just had to go running off. Donald didn't like Riku much. It was completely irrational, he knew that. But still, the boy had willingly gone into the Darkness. How could he be trusted?

Sorry the chapters so short, I've been a bit busy lately. I'll try and update again soon.


	6. Setting Off

"You know… this place is really boring." Z looked up at her friend.

"Really?" The blonde asked. "Hadn't noticed."

"Do you ever?" Her friend joked.

"Notice? It's the Realm of Darkness Q, what did you expect."

"Be nice!" The red head complained. "Sorry not all of us are privy to run around surrounded by heartless for days at a time."

"Qai, it's been ten minutes." Their blue-haired friend sighed. "Relax."

"But Fei." She whined. "This place is so _boring_!"

"Someone please kill her. Please." Z muttered.

"Riku!" Sora yelled. "_What_ are you doing?" The silver-haired boy looked up at his friend.

"Oh, hey Sora." He said. "I'm just…. organizing my stuff."

"Riku!" Sora cried exasperatedly. "We're supposed to be leaving now!"

"Okay, have fun." Sora glared at the older boy.

"You're coming too." Riku looking up at him, shock flashing across his face.

"Huh?"

"Come on Riku, seriously!" Sora complained. "We're gonna be late if you don't hurry up!"

"_I need to you deliver this to King Mickey for me. I understand you'll be seeing him shortly." She pressed it into his hand._

So Z had been right, he was going to see the King.

'You doubted me?' A voice echoed in his head. 'I'm disappointed.'

"Right. Okay." Riku stood. "I'll pack some stuff, and meet you down at the beach in five."

'You know what, fine. Ignore me. See where it gets you.' Riku could hear the pout in Z's voice.

"Okay." Sora turned and left.

'Do you mind not talking to me while there are other people around?' Riku thought, grabbing some stuff and shoving it in a bag. 'They're all going to think I've lost it.'

'Excuse me? I was just stating a fact.'

'Am I going to see you again soon?' Riku was almost hopeful.

'I don't know what Mickey has planned.' Z responded. 'But you're going to be late. I'll talk to you again later.'

"Riku again?" Fei asked, walking over. Z looked up, and nodded.

"Yeah." She said softly.

"How is… how is he doing?" Fei sat down next to the blonde. "He holding in there?"

"For now. He's going with Sora and Kairi to see King Mickey." Z sighed. "Disney Castle."

"Oh boy."

"Yeah." Z chucked a stone, watching it ripple in the pool of shadow water in front of her.

"We won't be out here for too long, right? Qai gets jumpy when there's a lot of darkness."

"I honestly don't know." Z said, laying down. Nervous habit. "I hope not."

"Me too." Fei said. "But I will admit, it is kinda pretty here."

"Tell that to the people who get stuck here." Z said shortly.

"Do you really think your father is here?" Fei asked softly. There was no response. "Tzi…"

"I hope he is, Fei, I hope he is."

"Well, we'll start looking tomorrow. Or, after we get used to this place." Fei smiled at her friend. "And if he's here, I promise you that we'll find him."


End file.
